You Act Like An Idiot, And I'm Gonna Call You Out
by tvj12
Summary: Eric's actions finally have some consequences, and 'Uncle D' is definitely not as courteous as he had been earlier. Steve is also there to help Danny set Eric's attitude straight. That's what Ohana is for, right? Takes place during and after Season 3 Episode 12 "Kapu". Story contains underage drinking, corporal punishment & disciplinary spanking of a teen and young adult. No Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: You Act Like An Idiot, And I'm Gonna Call You Out**

 **Summary: Eric's actions finally have some consequences, and 'Uncle D' is definitely not as courteous as he had been earlier. Steve is also there to help Danny set Eric's attitude straight. That's what Ohana is for, right?** ** **Takes place during and after Season 3 Episode 12 "Kapu", and set in the beginning of January to match the air-date of the episode.****

 **Warnings: Story contains underage drinking, corporal punishment and disciplinary spanking of a teen and young adult.  
**

 **Disclaimer: All recognizable dialogue and plot belong to CBS and the writers of Hawaii Five-0. Story title is a direct line of Danny's from the episode.**

 **A/N: I don't believe it has been specified in the show, but for the purposes of this story Eric is somewhere around 18½ years old during his visit in Episode 3x12. I currently have about 16 chapters planned, but that may change since I am still doing final editing.**

~H50~

Chapter 1

On the helicopter ride back from Ni'ihau, Steve tried to take his mind off the case that had occupied his whole day. So instead of greedy murderers and little kids with rare illnesses, Steve's thoughts jumped instead to his partner Danny, as they so often did. It hadn't surprised Steve that Danny was able to stay professional for the case, while simultaneously trying to corral his delinquent nephew all day. Steve hadn't really known what to think in those early hours of the case, when a brash teenager had shown up in the middle of his crime scene talking about a decomposed murder victim as if he was at a Halloween fun-house instead the middle of a science lab at Oahu State.

As Steve and Danny had arrived at the crime scene separately, Steve's first real interaction with Eric after their introduction was when Eric bee-lined to the computer table and started messing with the interface. Steve was so taken off-guard that this kid was bold enough to mess around with the task-force's equipment that he could barely put up his protest to get Eric to stop. Thank God that Danny was apparently used to Eric's disruptive behavior and had jumped in to stop him before any damage was truly done to their system. From Danny's earlier information about Eric and combined with the whining back-talk the teen was currently giving, Steve's opinion started to form on the motivation behind Eric's recent conduct.

Steve did not fail to miss the small look that briefly crossed Eric's face when Danny reprimanded him and sent him out of the war room. The flare of emotion that flickered over Eric made Steve flash back to when he was a teenager, and all he had wanted was his father's attention and approval. Eric was quick to cover it up with a mask of indifference, but Steve could tell that Danny's opinion meant a lot to the kid. Eric was desperate for approval, and wanted his Uncle's approval most of all. When Danny made the comment about Eric's lack of impulse control, Steve had internally agreed that Eric could probably benefit with a little more discipline.

A couple minutes later definitely had Steve thinking that Eric could use a lot more structure and discipline, after he saw Danny's reaction to the emailed charity photo. It only took a moment to realize the breach in privacy that had occurred if Eric was sending prank emails through Danny's office computer. But Danny had not yet asked for Steve's opinion regarding Eric, so he had decided to continue observing the situation until either Danny asked him, or something happened that would make Steve feel like he had to speak up.

Eric had been quiet in the car on the way to the Sorority house, still carrying the "kicked-puppy" look that had surfaced when Danny had laid into him in the office. Danny was still a little wound up from his rant at Eric, so the atmosphere was a little tense between the three of them during the short car ride. Soon enough they were walking into the Sorority and Danny seemed to be back to his baseline as they asked about the girl they had come to talk to. Danny even managed to tell Eric to behave himself without making it sound like he was still as angry as he had been in the office.

As Steve and Danny ran back through the house on their way to give chase to Rebecca, Steve had a brief moment to wonder if Eric would cause them any delay in leaving for the car. Steve beat Danny to a barked command of "Eric we are leaving NOW" and grabbed him by the back of the t-shirt collar to haul him out to the car. Luckily Eric either recognized the urgency of the command or, more likely, was too shocked to react, and the three had caught up to Rebecca's scooter with hardly any delay.

Throughout the day, Steve couldn't help but notice that Eric was beginning to be more productive with his interruptive commentary. In the hallway outside the lecture hall Steve tested a theory about Eric's behavior around Danny, and threw Eric a compliment about his insight with the cheating guide on the pop can. As Steve had suspected, Eric had beamed a smile at the praise, the fist bump and the use of his silly nickname. Steve's earlier idea of Eric craving attention from the authority figures in his life became more solidified after seeing Eric's reaction to that little bit of recognition.

When Steve had been younger, he had longed for that same acknowledgment from his own father. Aside from his own experience with seeking approval, Steve had seen a lot more behavior similar to Eric's once he had started to be in leadership positions over other recruits in the Navy. A lot of kids came through training that had needed to be given the discipline of routine actions and the reprimands for wrong-doing. While Steve obviously wasn't going to recommend that Danny have Eric enlist (what a conversation that would have been), he started to wonder if some of the structure from the Academy and the Navy training could be adapted on a smaller scale to help Eric.

That last thought had fermented in the back of his mind over the rest of the afternoon, temporarily set aside while making sure Stephens was safe, but pushing back to the forefront of his thoughts as the helicopter sped back to Oahu. As the lights of Honolulu came closer, Steve finally texted Danny his idea about Eric's need for a little discipline and structure, and offered to spend some time doing training exercises with the teen before he returned to New Jersey.

Danny immediately responded to Steve's text, and their conversation continued until Steve landed and got to his truck to drive home after their long day.

~H50~

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N 1: I forgot to specify before that there are NO slash pairings in this story. I hope that doesn't disappoint anybody too badly.**

 **A/N 2: I swear there will be more dialogue after a couple more chapters. This one is mostly inside Danny's head and sets up some history between uncle and nephew.**

~H50~

Chapter 2

Texting with Steve that evening was helping Danny metaphorically step away from the frustration that had been simmering all day. Although Eric's commentary had included some helpful ideas during their investigation, the attitude that had come along with it had continued to grate on Danny's nerves. Danny was emotionally drained from both the yelling in the office that morning and the direct-and-painfully-honest conversation in the car from only a few hours ago. Knowing that Steve's opinions were unbiased from any previous perceptions of the kid, it was nice for Danny to hear that he wasn't alone in his observations of his nephew.

Danny had caught the micro-expressions that Eric had been unable to hide throughout the day. He had felt his heart clench a little when he had seen Eric's reactions to Danny yelling at him in the office and again in the car. When Eric looked so proud after Steve's praise at the university that afternoon, it had suddenly clicked for Danny one of the reasons Eric had been acting out so much.

Eric's father had been out of the picture for a long time now, and would not have been a good influence even if he was still around. Matty was still on the run (but had been more of an instigating-older-brother figure to Eric when they were together), and Danny had been almost half a world away for the last three years. Eric didn't have a male authority figure in his life to keep him in check or to shape his future into something productive and good. And while Eddie had straightened out Danny when he had been on a bad path, Danny's father had respected both Clara and Stella's wishes to not be heavy-handed in the reprimands toward Eric.

After he finished texting with Steve, Danny's mind drifted back to three and a half years ago, to a few months before he followed Grace to Hawaii. It had been the last time that he and Eric had spent any time together before Rachel moved across the country with his beloved daughter. That last time Danny had been with him, Eric had just been stopped by a beat cop right before committing an act of vandalism with a couple of his friends.

Danny had received a phone call one Saturday night from a friend on the force who knew Eric was Danny's nephew. The officer had seen the teens lurking near an abandoned warehouse, and when he confronted the group it was apparent that they had been prepared to vandalize the building. As they had only been caught loitering past curfew and had not yet damaged or defaced anything, the officer had called Danny to meet with them before any further action was taken.

Danny, being the responsible adult and police officer that he was, decided he wanted to take action and try to curb any repeat of the behavior that may want to pop up in the future. As he pulled up to the warehouse where the officer and teens were waiting, Danny warred with himself between acting as an officer of the law versus taking steps as a concerned family member for a wayward teen. Danny tried to keep his temper in check as he roughly shoved Eric into his car and drove them both to Stella's house.

Danny remembered that Stella was in Manhattan for the evening for a work-related event, so he let himself and Eric into the house with his own spare key. Once they were in Stella's family room, Danny sat Eric down roughly and took a deep breath. Trying to remain calm, Danny couldn't hold back the flood of words that came out as he paced in front of the 15 year old. Words came, about how Eric needed to think about the legal and life consequences that his actions tonight could have caused. Words came about how Eric was old enough to know that what he was planning was a crime, and crimes committed at any age could affect his life in big ways. Words came about how he was raised to be respectful of both people and property. Words about how his actions could reflect badly for his mother—and what would Stella think?

As Eric sat sullenly in his seat, Danny decided to handle the current situation as he had done for smaller infractions throughout Eric's life. Previously Danny had only really reprimanded Eric for his attitude toward the adults in both the family and the community, or for smaller actions and unruly behavior he had witnessed.

As Danny continued to talk and pace in front of his nephew, he could see when Eric realized that Danny meant to take him over his knee and spank him. The last time it had happened had been over two years before, prior to Eric hitting his growth spurt. Now Eric was just about even in height with Danny, and tried to bring that up as a point to get out of the punishment Danny started to lay out. Danny held firm and informed Eric that while there was no longer a height difference, there was still plenty of room over Danny's lap.

Having made his decision, Danny took a seat on the couch and told Eric to come to him for his punishment. When Eric didn't move right away, Danny hardened his voice and told Eric not to delay any longer if he knew what was good for him.

Eric had reluctantly moved to stand directly next to where Danny was located on the couch, but he couldn't make that final move to lay out over Danny's lap. With Eric hesitating, but still next to him, Danny took that as the consent and contrition he was hoping to see. Eric knew he had done something wrong in a big way, and was accepting the punishment that Danny would give him.

Danny made a swift grab at Eric's hand and smoothly guided him into position. Eric squirmed and tried to slide off, but Danny quickly moved Eric's left hand snugly between Danny's stomach and Eric's side while also reaching across his back to pull up Eric's right hand and anchor it to the outside hip. With losing the leverage he had with his hands, combined with Danny firmly gripping across his back, Eric's movement was cut down significantly and he gave up trying to escape. Eric wasn't relaxed in the position he was in, but he had realized that he couldn't slip away from Danny and would be forced to endure the humiliation of receiving a punishment that he had only associated with little kids.

Stella hadn't been too happy the first couple times Danny had given Eric spankings when he was younger. Eddie and Clara hadn't given physical punishment like that when Danny and his siblings had been young, and Stella didn't know all of the details about how their Pop had helped Danny straighten up his life. But Danny and Stella had a long conversation the first time Danny had thought Eric needed a proper spanking for a punishment, and they had come to an agreement that Eric could benefit greatly from a little corporal punishment. Stella's only stipulation was that it didn't go beyond spanking, and that Danny only used his hand.

So there Eric was, laying trapped over Danny's knees. Danny wasn't going to go light and easy on the kid this time. It wasn't a little attitude or some rowdy behavior that he was trying to fix. That night had come just shy of Eric getting arrested for vandalism. And while it would have only been on a juvenile record, it would still be the start of a path that would be hard to reverse. So instead of starting in right away with swats like he had done before, Danny just held Eric for a few moments longer while he truly thought about how he wanted this reprimand to play out.

Danny transferred his right hand to hold Eric's arm, and rested his now-free left hand between Eric's shoulder blades. Danny realized that Eric's breathing had become a little heavier as he had been pinned by Danny, and it seemed that the feel of Danny's hand moving over his back was helping to soothe the near-panic. Finally Danny said to Eric, "You are better than a juvenile record, and I will not sit by quietly and watch you start down the path of throwing your life away."

With that statement hanging in the air, Danny transferred his hands again to free up his right hand, then quickly landed six fast blows to Eric's ass. As Eric had still been wearing his baggy jeans, his yelp was more out of surprise than actual pain. After pausing for a moment at Eric's reaction, Danny started up again with a steady rhythm as he began speaking over the noise. Danny started talking back over all the points he had brought up earlier in the evening, emphasizing each point that he made with a specific smack.

Danny stopped to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts again, and he could tell that Eric slumped a little in the relief of thinking his punishment was over. When Danny failed to let him go, Eric tensed up again and let out an unsure "Uncle D? Are you gonna let me up?"

Sitting in his bedroom in Hawaii, even all those years later, Danny could still clearly remember the next part of the evening. After Eric's plaintive question, Danny let his resolve harden. "Oh ho, no. We are nowhere near done. This isn't just some little attitude you were throwing around, or disrespectful behavior at the supermarket. This was serious, and this is a lesson that is going to last a little longer."

Eric had tensed at Danny's words, while Danny gave a good yank at the jeans that had been loosely hanging from Eric's slender waist earlier that night. Danny had a fleeting thought that he was glad for once that Eric didn't listen to Stella's constant requests to wear a belt with his loose pants. But then a belt would have only made the pants-removal a little awkward, and would have actually been a deterrent for what Danny intended to do. Eric's boxers had slid down with the jeans and he was now laying bare-assed with a red blush creeping across the back of his neck, still anchored tightly by Danny's left hand across his body.

With his pants bunched just above his knees, Eric renewed his efforts to squirm out of Danny's grip. Danny held tight though, and leaned in close to Eric's ear. "Eric, I care about you very much. Your whole family loves you and wants you to be the best person you can be." With that low statement, Danny brought down his first blow to Eric's newly-bared bottom. Without the buffer of the denim and boxers, Danny's first smack had made Eric shriek. Danny brought down his hand three more times before pausing and addressing Eric's growing distress. Leaning in again to speak softly, Danny soothed Eric with a litany of "Shhh, you're okay. You'll get through this."

Faster than he was sure Eric had hoped, Danny resumed the spanking, along with recapping the behavior that was expected of him and how disappointed Danny was that Eric had considered the activities he and his friends had planned for the night. As Danny spoke of his disappointment, he could hear Eric's breath start to hitch. Danny knew he had always been the family member that Eric bonded to the most—even more than the "fun" Uncle Matty. As he had hoped, the sharp words of disapproval along with the sting of his hand were finally having an impact on the kid in his lap. Danny heard a little wetness in Eric's breathing and knew his nephew was letting down his guard and allowing some tears fall.

With the knowledge that Eric was lowering his defenses, Danny decided it was time to switch up his tactics. Danny had gotten through Eric's tough exterior, and now had to make sure the lesson would stick—at least for a little while. The straight-up lecturing part of this session was done and now it was time for some follow-up. "Eric, I want you to tell me why I'm giving you this punishment tonight."

After Danny had run through all of the questions he wanted Eric to answer about the evening and was satisfied that Eric had been truthful, Danny finished off the spanking with eight hard swats targeted to the tender flesh across the back of Eric's thighs. When he was done, Danny rested his stinging hand across Eric's lower back, giving them both a moment to catch their breath.

Danny carefully released the hold he had across Eric's body, and gently maneuvered the shaking teen so they were both standing. In a moment of panic over his current appearance, Eric had tried to take a giant step away from Danny—forgetting that his jeans were now bunched around his ankles and causing himself to start pitching wildly backwards. Danny made a swift grab for Eric's shoulders and reeled him into a snug bear-hug. Eric had tensed for a tiny moment but then melted into the solid form that was holding him, seeking as much comfort as he could from his uncle's embrace.

When Eric had been younger, he had never shied away from affection or hugs from Danny. The whole family was generally an outgoing and tactile group. As Eric had gone through his early teenage years though, he had started to back away from anything emotional or affectionate in his daily life. None of the recent animosity toward "feelings" seemed to matter now, as apparently getting walloped at the age of 15 by a stern relative could completely crush any opposition against receiving comfort. Once he was surrounded by the tight hug, Eric buried his face into his uncle's shoulder and grasped around Danny's back like his life depended on it.

After a short while, Eric finally started to pull away and Danny let him reach down to drag up the pants that were still around his ankles. "It's late Eric, and you are going to be a little sore for awhile. Why don't you just stick with wearing the boxers and carry the jeans to your room with you. Now go get ready for bed."

Eric pulled up his boxers with a hiss as the fabric rubbed over his tender flesh, and kicked off his jeans. He started to leave the room, but hovered in the doorway. Danny saw Eric's hesitation and it only took him a moment to guess what was on Eric's mind and give a response. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll be crashing in the guest room tonight, and we can talk some more in the morning." Seeing a quick flash of horror in Eric's eyes, Danny continued, "And I'll only give your Ma the bullet points of what all went on tonight."

Eric let out a groan at Danny's proclamation. Danny met him at the door, placed a hand on the back of Eric's neck and started guiding him through the house. "I'm not keeping what you did tonight from your mother, she has a right to know when you screw up and put yourself at risk. But I won't tell her every detail of our conversation from when I was disciplining you. She's going to know that we talked, and that you've been reprimanded for your actions. You can tell her what we talked about if you want to, but we can also keep that between us. It'll be up to Stella if she's going to add more punishment. Just remember that any punishments you receive are because you are loved, and we want to help you become a responsible and respectful young man."

Danny and Eric finally reached Eric's bedroom, and Danny gave a final squeeze to the back of Eric's neck before giving him a gentle nudge into the room. Eric started to close the door behind him, and as Danny turned to walk back down the hall he heard a very quiet "Thanks Uncle D."

Danny sat up waiting in Stella's kitchen until she came home from her trip to Manhattan after 11:30. Stella's surprise at seeing Danny waiting in her house at the late hour had quickly turned to fear, when Eric was supposed to be at his best friend's house and Danny knew she would be in the city all evening. Danny was fast to reassure her that everyone was okay and Stella fell into a chair momentarily relieved.

Danny started his part of the conversation by confirming that Eric was currently safe and asleep in his room. He wasn't sure how to gently reveal the events of the night he'd had with Eric, and decided to just jump in and lay out all the facts. Stella's couldn't seem to settle on a single emotion and her face reflected how fast her mind was racing. Danny's sister had never been a fan of corporal punishment, but had allowed Danny to use his best judgment in dealing with Eric in the past.

After hearing Danny's explanation of events, Stella could agree that in this case a lecture combined with a spanking was one of the better alternatives of the possible consequences, and she made sure Danny knew she supported his choice of punishment. Both Stella and Danny could only hope that Danny's approach might actually help keep Eric from repeating this particular offense, and hopefully other delinquent actions as well. As both siblings had already endured long evenings, they didn't draw out their conversation much longer and quickly made their way to their respective beds to salvage what sleep they could.

~H50~

It was crazy what details the brain would hang on to, and with the memory of that night at Stella's fresh in his mind, Danny became more sure of his next actions for Eric's current visit. While Eric was technically 18 and therefore a legal adult, the kid was still in his Senior year of high school and still living with his mother. The Williams clan had always emphasized the family bond, and Danny knew that Stella and the rest of the family could still have a little influence over Eric during this stage of his life. It had caused almost a physical pain hearing Eric's flippant remarks earlier in the day about planning to skip college. Maybe Eric just needed a little nudge in the right direction. Okay, maybe he needed a big nudge.

A few months ago Danny had managed to get the formal charges dropped for Eric's involvement in the stolen car, as luckily Eric had still been 17 at the time. After the charges were dropped though, no other punishment had been handed down to Eric for his actions. The growing number of situations where Eric was acting out in recent months, combined with the behavioral reactions Danny had seen since picking Eric up from the airport, was leading Danny to think Eric needed some tough love handed down again. And this time Danny would make sure to follow it up by checking in with Eric more often after his nephew returned home.

Steve's idea of a Boot Camp, or even just exercise, didn't seem too bad either. Maybe a combination of some cardio with Steve and a good spanking over the weekend would be the start he needed to get Eric into a place where he could re-evaluate the direction of his life. It could be a show of support to the kid, letting Eric know that Danny (and Steve) would be there for him; to help Eric figure out big decisions, and to call him out when he does something stupid. It would also help build up a support-structure for Eric with Danny's Ohana, to have Steve get involved and provide another male role model that Eric could count on. Thank God it was Friday, and Five-0 didn't have a new case for the weekend yet. A work-free weekend sounded like just the thing they needed.

Danny's thoughts were finally settling after both the messaging with Steve and the whirlwind of memories from that night so long ago. Comfortable in the plan he settled on to break through Eric's attitude and bluster, Danny was able to drift to sleep with the knowledge that he could still take care of his family – even while he was usually almost 5000 miles away.

~H50~

To be continued...

 **More Notes: I know this chapter felt like it skipped around a lot with the timelines, but it seemed to fit with the way Danny was currently recalling the past events.**

 **Never fear! The plot kicks up a bit in the next chapter, and there will be actual spanking of 18-year-old Eric further along in the story. I'm going to be spacing out future updates a little more, but wanted to get some of the promised punishment out there for the weekend. Hope you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's your first look inside Eric's head. In case I haven't been clear, this chapter plus the next few are taking place the same night as the majority of the episode, and before the scene at the hospital. This should be the last 'introspective-only' chapter (at least for a while), and everybody will start coming together after we see Eric mess up just this little bit more...**

~H50~

Chapter 3

It was Friday night, and Eric had returned with Danny to the house around 9pm. After they left Bullwinkle and Toast's place, Danny had needed to do a few things in his office for the case they had just wrapped up. They didn't even do anything special for dinner since Danny was still working, just a few burritos from a Mexican food truck that had been parked a block away from the Palace.

Once they returned to Danny's, Eric headed straight to the room he was staying in to check his emails and do some web surfing. As the night went on, all of Danny's words from earlier in the day started repeating in his head. Uncle D said his mother wasn't proud of him. Uncle D said he made bad life-decisions and thought Eric was acting like an idiot. Did that mean Uncle Danny thought he was stupid? Was he really going to waste away his life? Uncle D made sure to point out that he hasn't accomplished anything worthwhile and has zero value to society. His uncle didn't even want to leave him on his own in Bullwinkle's kitchen, making him stay right by the desk while Bullwinkle worked on the computer.

The whole reason he even got to visit Uncle D in Hawaii this week was because his Ma had been more frustrated with him than usual. She always looked worried lately, and Eric realized that was at least partially due to him. The tension between them had been getting worse for a few months—ever since his Ma picked him up from the police station after getting arrested for stealing that car. Sitting alone in Danny's guest room, Eric was starting to think he was such a disappointing son that maybe his own mother didn't even want to be around him. What could he do now, if Uncle D didn't want him around either?

Finally, just after 11:30, Eric couldn't take his racing thoughts any more. He listened carefully at the door, and couldn't hear any sounds to indicate that his uncle was anywhere other than his own bedroom. As quietly as he could, Eric snuck down the hall and out the kitchen door, snagging the Camaro keys on his way out. Right now he just needed a change of scenery, to drive around a bit and see where he ended up.

After about twenty minutes of winding through the residential neighborhoods, Eric finally hit the main strip that boasted all of the major resorts near the beach. Just near the end of the line of huge hotels, he decided to swing into the parking lot for a 24-hour convenience store. Getting some alcohol wasn't his original intention when he had left Danny's house, but now that it was right in front of him…now all Eric could think about was how nice the buzz and haze of some beer would be.

Eric entered the store and went straight for the beer cooler in the back. He had faith in his fake ID, for it had served him well back home. The late-night clerk barely looked twice when he handed over his license and cash, and soon enough Eric is back in the Camaro with a six-pack of Longboards.

Before breaking into the beer, Eric kept going down the road in the same direction he had been heading to start with. Just a little ways down from the last respectable hotel, he decided to pull into the parking lot of what looked like a rundown and shady bar called the Thirsty Boar. It was just far enough away from the main strip that any regular tourists probably stayed away from it and the local patrons would be left to themselves.

After turning off the engine, Eric cracked open one of the bottles of beer and downed half of it in one go. It was his first taste of the local brand of beer, and it was definitely a new flavoring to get used to. Eric quickly finished off the rest of the beer, and just sat in his uncle's car for another full minute of simply staring out the windshield. Danny's words started running on repeat again, and the disappointment that he had felt from Danny was starting to weigh heavy on his mind. Hoping to break his cycle of thought, Eric finally made his way into the bar. The place wasn't too crowded, as it was close to midnight (and not exactly the best bar option in town), and he got the attention of the bartender right away. Eric handed over his ID and some cash for a Longboard and a Jack Daniels to start, then took his drinks to a dark corner booth to wallow in the self-pity that had been brought on by Danny's continued lecturing throughout the day.

The bartender had only agreed to serve Eric his third beverage in exchange for handing over his car keys for safe keeping. Many drinks later, and what seemed like no time at all, the bartender cut him off from any more alcohol. As Eric pulled out his phone to try and look for a cab company to call, he realized that he only had 8 dollars left on him—which was not nearly enough to get back to Danny's. His mother had given him a credit card for his trip to Hawaii for emergencies, but Eric remembered he had left it packed with his clothes because he had plenty of cash in his wallet…or so he had thought.

Tonight Eric had driven far enough that there was no way he could walk back. He was going to have to call his uncle, and Danny was going to be SO pissed. If Eric knew the city any better, he might have just taken his chances on walking after all. Even though it was more than a few miles, it might have been worth it to avoid calling Uncle Danny.

Eric left the bar as quickly as he could in his impaired state, so that he could have his small panic attack over calling his uncle in the privacy of the shadows of Danny's car. Almost hyperventilating, he looked at his contact list and saw a beacon of hope shining back at him. Three names above 'Uncle D' was Steve McGarrett's number, from when Danny insisted that he add it to his phone "in case of emergencies."

Well, this certainly could be considered an emergency—he was alone in the early hours of the morning, very drunk in the parking lot of a bar, in a city he was unfamiliar with, and oh yeah- his uncle would not react well if Eric called him to take his under-aged ass home. Would Steve be better than Uncle D? Okay, maybe not…he was all military, and a cop, and his uncle's best friend. But maybe he could delay facing Danny for a little longer, at least to sober up a little or figure out how to explain why he had snuck out of the house for some illegal drinking. And McGarrett was Uncle D's partner, so maybe he would at least stay out of jail as a courtesy to Danny…or something… … maybe. With the option to at least delay a confrontation with Danny for a little longer, Eric made up his mind to try his luck with the Commander and hit 'call'.

~H50~

To be continued...

 **A/N: As far as I know, the Thirsty Boar is not the name of a real bar in Honolulu.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Warning for vomiting in this chapter.**

~H50~

Chapter 4

With the ringing of his phone, Steve groggily rolled over in his bed and glanced at the clock while reaching to answer the call. Any call at 1:30 in the morning couldn't be a good one, and Steve wondered if his Ohana was okay, or if their day would get started with a brand new case. The caller ID showing that it was Eric's number woke Steve up a bit, and he answered the call with a clipped "McGarrett".

"Hey McGarrett? It's, uh, …it's Eric… …"

"Eric, it's 1:30 in the morning, why are you calling me? Is Danny OK?"

"Um…yeah, I think so, I mean, he should be…I mean—"

"Eric! Spit it out! What's going on?"

Eric started to ramble a slurred response, being prompted by Steve's commanding tone, "Uncle D should be fine, I think he should still be 'sleep, but I kinda mess'd up, and I could really use your help, and I _really_ don' wanna call Uncle D, cuz he's gonna be so pissed, and ….anyway…would you be able to come pick me up?"

"Uh, yeah, I can come get you. Are you okay? I'm assuming you aren't at Danny's house, so where exactly are you?" Steve was alert enough to hear the slurred words from Eric, but decided he could hold his speculation on the reason until he was face-to-face with Danny's wayward nephew and he knew more of the facts.

"I'm at the, uh, the Thirsty Boar. It'sa bar. I think it's about a half-mile away from the Hilton? I'm in the parking lot." Steve remained silent for a minute, prompting Eric to ask again, "…So can you come get me? Please?"

"Yeah, Eric. I'm heading out, and I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay exactly where you are, and don't do anything until I get there."

"Awesome, thank you thank you thank you. You won't call Uncle D, will you? At least not right away? Oh please don' call Uncle D, Steve! I'm beggin' here, man, please don't wake him up".

"Eric, I won't keep this from him. You had to have known that—"

Eric cut in, "Yes, I knew that, I'm just askin' not to call him _yet_ , and to not bring him with you. Not yet."

Steve caught the break in Eric's voice, with a hint of panic, and decided that he could at least assess the situation before poking The-Bear-That-Is-Danny-Williams-Before-Coffee. "Fine, I'll hold off on calling Danny _for now_. Just sit tight, and don't do _anything_ until I get there. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Won't do anything."

~H50~

Steve pulled into the parking lot of the Thirsty Boar, which only had a few cars this close to last call. Steve swore out loud as he spotted Danny's Camaro, and pulled into the spot to the right of the car. "Eric?" Steve called as he exited his truck. "Eric, it's Steve, where are you?" Steve walked around to the driver's side of the Camaro, and found Eric slumped against the door, close to passed out and clutching his phone to his stomach.

Eric startled when Steve yelled his name from a crouch right in front of him, and Steve would have laughed if it had been almost any other situation. It was clear now that Eric was indeed very inebriated, a little depressed, and just a bit panicked. Steve gripped Eric by both shoulders and hauled him to his feet, holding him steady as he listed a little to the side. "Jeez Eric. What the hell were you thinking? How much have you had to drink?"

With the rapid-fire questions, Eric just looked down at the ground and tried to pull back from Steve's strong grasp. But the car was right behind him, leaving nowhere to go, and the Commander's strong grip wouldn't let him move away at all. Steve was waiting for an answer, but Eric still kept his mouth shut.

"Alright, we'll get back to that in a minute. First things first, have you thrown up at all? Do you feel like you need to?" Eric kept the movement small as he shook his head no. "No to both? Ok, good to know. Now, where are Danny's keys? I need you to hand them over."

"Bartender took 'em and didn't give 'em back when he kicked me out." Steve pursed his lips, arranged his grip on Eric's shoulder, and started a brisk pace toward the entrance of the bar. Eric couldn't do anything except try his best to keep his feet under him as Steve dragged him along. Steve walked up to the bar, pushed Eric onto a bar stool and called the bartender over.

"Hi, do you have the keys that you took from this young man? Camaro. And does he owe you anything for a tab?"

As the bartender confirmed that Eric's tab was already settled and went to retrieve the keys, Steve palmed his badge and set it on the bar. With Danny's keys now in hand, Steve indicated the displayed badge and shot off his next statement with a hint of steel in his voice. "I'm Commander McGarrett with Five-0. I need to know if you sold alcohol to this young man, knowing that he was under the legal drinking age."

"Shit, really? Guy was already started before he came in here. I could smell the beer on his breath, and his ID seemed legit—Connecticut License, it said he was 22. Had holograms and watermarks and everything." Steve's eyes tightened at his confusion when the bartender mentioned Connecticut instead of New Jersey, but he tried to keep the rest of his face blank as the man continued on. "Damn, are you gonna bust me for this? Because I legit checked his ID and everything! I swear I didn't know it was a fake."

"Alright, calm down. I believe you. I'll take care of it with the kid." Steve turned from the pissed off bartender and gave a glare to Eric…which he realized was wasted on the teen because his chin was dropped to his chest and he appeared to have dozed off a bit. Steve gave a firm shake to Eric's nearest shoulder, and he startled to awareness again. "Eric. Hand over your ID. Right now."

Eric now looked a little green, either at the command or from the movement of Steve's hand, but he still reached into his pocket. Steve snatched the fake ID as soon as it came into view, gave a quick goodbye to the bartender, then pulled Eric up and frog-marched him back out of the bar.

Even with the tight grip that Steve had on him, Eric was unable to keep from stumbling and swaying on the way to the truck. Eric's lack of coordination reminded Steve that he had no idea how much the kid had drunk. Beside the passenger door, Steve pulled to a sharp halt and spun Eric around to face him. "Eric, I need you to tell me what you were drinking tonight. I don't think you would be this drunk off of just beer. What all did you have?"

Eric's swimming eyes were unable to focus on Steve's face, and he apparently decided the ground was a much better option to look at. "Uh, started with some beer. Dude, I tried those Longboards Uncle D is always talkin' about, and I gotta say they taste a little funky the first time you drink them. Not like Bud Lite at all." At Steve's little shake to get him focused, Eric listed into the side of the truck and tried to remember the question. "Oh, and then I had some Cap'n 'n'some Jack. Had lotsa Cap'n'Jack."

" 'Cap'n'Jack'?" Eric's slurred response wasn't exactly well-enunciated.

"Yeah. Cap'n Morgan, Jack Daniels. I liked'ta switch back 'n' forth with each round."

"Eric, how long were you here drinking? How many drinks did you have? How much did you spend?" Steve tried not to fire off his questions too quickly, but he was having trouble holding back.

Eric just gave a little shrug, and scrunched his face up trying to figure out the right answers. "I lef' Uncle D's 'round 11:30, I think. Don' know how many I drank…they all kinda ran together." Eric gave a small giggle. "Dude, drinks are 'spensive here! I think I had more'n a hundred dollars, and then I didn' have enough to pay for a ride back to Uncle D's."

While Steve did know the expense of alcohol in the great state of Hawaii, $100 could still supply a lot of drinks for an under-aged kid. Experience and observation told Steve that he didn't currently have to rush to a hospital for alcohol poisoning. But without Eric having thrown up yet, there could still be a lot of alcohol that hadn't been absorbed yet.

Propping the teen up against the truck, Steve opened the door to reach for a kit in the back seat and pulled out the small 1-dose vial of ipecac. Preparing to support Eric from the side, the Commander easily overpowered the kid and forced the liquid into his mouth, clamping his jaw shut until he swallowed. The results came immediately, and Steve held the vomiting teen out of the mess as the remaining contents of Eric's stomach were expelled.

Once Eric was finished and trying weakly to stay on his feet, Steve hauled Eric up into the front passenger seat of his truck. He shut the door, then stalked around the truck to do a quick inspection of the Camaro. Nothing seemed damaged from the outside, and hopefully Eric hadn't really driven here after already having some drinks. Steve opened up the driver's side door, and that's when he spotted the pack of Longboards sitting in the footwell, with one bottle open and empty. Steve grabbed the beer to confront Eric with later, then made sure the Camaro was locked before joining Eric in the truck.

The drunk teen was attempting to fasten his seatbelt, but had somehow gotten it jammed in a length that was too short to reach the buckle. Steve swatted the kid's hands away, properly fastened him into the belt, and then ran a weary hand down his face as he turned over the ignition. It was going to be one hell of a long day.

~H50~

To be continued...

 **A/N: Just a reminder that this story is fiction, so if you are ever in a situation where you think someone is in danger of alcohol poisoning, please see a medical professional.**


	5. Chapter 5

~H50~

Chapter 5

Steve had driven barely a mile, trying to figure out how to start the needed conversation with Eric, when he glanced to the passenger seat to see Eric nodding off with his head against the door. Deciding coffee would definitely be needed to keep himself awake as well as Eric, Steve pulled into the parking lot of the next all-night convenience store he saw. When Eric didn't even twitch to the silence of the engine shutting off, Steve decided he would just lock and alarm the doors and hope the teen would either be asleep or too drunk to extract himself from the truck before he got back.

A few minutes later Steve was approaching the truck again, balancing the drink carrier holding three coffees and a bottled water in one hand, while shoving his phone back into his pocket with the other hand before he could get the truck door open. Danny had been understandably upset during their quick phone call, but Steve was hoping his friend would have time to calm down a bit before he and Eric got to the house.

Eric jerked awake and upright as Steve slammed his door shut and turned over the engine. Getting back on the road, Steve didn't want to waste any more time since Eric was awake again, so he broke into the silence that still lingered from when they had left the bar. "Eric, hold these drinks. I need you to start drinking as much of that water as you can right now."

As Eric cracked open the 1-liter bottle of water, Steve couldn't hold back his questions any longer. "Eric, I found the pack of Longboards in Danny's car. Did you take those from Danny's house?"

Eric finished the large gulp he was in the middle of, then took a breath. "Nah, man, I picked 'em up in that other convenience store down the road from where you just stopped for the coffee.

Steve's thoughts jumped to the confiscated ID sitting in his pocket, but would save that for later. His tone sharpened with his next inquiry, "One bottle was empty—did you at any time get behind the wheel tonight after taking even one swallow of alcohol?"

"No, dude, I swear. I just drank the one in the lot at the bar after I parked. Wasn't sure if it would help get around the bartender with my ID if he knew I'd already gotten some alcohol somewhere else first. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't—I've seen it go either way for my friends back in Jersey." Eric was still drunk enough that he wasn't really affected by the sharp and intense vibe Steve was giving off at that moment, and his answers had started to ramble on a bit.

At Steve's next question about the fake ID being from Connecticut, Eric didn't even think about all the information he was spilling to the Commander. "Back home my buddies and me wouldn't just use our fakes around Newark and Jersey City and 'Lizabeth. Sometimes we'd go out to bars in Brooklyn or Queens, too—not Manhattan though, most of those are too pricey. And tourists! Man, it is not fun to hit bars filled with tourists. We'd also go up to Boston some weekends. Having an out of state license always seems to help, since the bouncers and bartenders weren't always used to seeing them everyday, and Connecticut was the state that worked the best for where I was using it."

Steve almost did a double take after Eric finally took a breath and cut off his flow of words. Steve could definitely pick out the family resemblance, or maybe just Danny's influence, in the kid's long-winded response. Forging ahead, Steve asked the question that had been bugging him since he'd answered Eric's call. "Why did you call me instead of Danny? You met me less than 24 hours ago, and we haven't spent all that much time together yet."

Steve glanced over to see Eric fidgeting with the drink carrier, then stalling a little by opening the water bottle for another long swallow. "I dunno. I guess I thought maybe you wouldn't yell as loud as Uncle D, and maybe you wouldn't have the urge to re-arrange my face when you arrived…not that Uncle D has ever hurt me or anything, but this would probably be the kind of thing that might finally make him…and you ain't family, but you're Uncle D's partner, so maybe you could give me a little buffer zone without arresting me? … … It might've made more sense in my head before I decided who to call."

"Ya think?!" Steve couldn't hold in his outburst in response to Eric's admission that the reasons no longer made sense.

Eric barely paused with Steve's interjection, "I can't really remember now what all of my reasons were, but I'm pretty sure I was freaking out a little on top of being buzzed. Uncle D can really yell when he wants to…" Eric trailed off a bit, then turned to look out the window and muttered the rest of his words so Steve had to strain to hear, "and he's-kinda-the-reason-I-wanted-to-go-drinkin'-in-the-first-place."

Steve took a moment to digest Eric's run-together mumbling, but managed to get the gist of it. While he could make an educated guess at the core of Eric's issues, he didn't want to delve into them yet. That conversation would take a lot longer than the time they had remaining on the ride. And as much as Steve loved butting into Danny's issues, counseling Eric was something he didn't want to intrude on without first running it by his best friend. Instead, he decided to stick with the original question of why Eric thought he'd be better off with Steve than with Danny.

"Has Danny ever told you about how I run Five-0, and what I did before I came back to Oahu to run the task force?"

"Yeah, sure. He calls you crazy, but usually effective." Eric paused to take a drink from his coffee cup. "And you used to be a SEAL in the Navy. What's that gotta do with pickin' me up from a bar?"

"Obviously Danny has watered down most of his complaints, or you just weren't paying attention. With Five-0, I was given immunity in how I decide to catch and interrogate hostile suspects. My background is in intelligence and apprehension of terrorists, and just like Danny I can be loud, demanding and scary when I want to be." Eric just quirked an eyebrow, like he couldn't totally see the 'scary' part of Steve yet.

"In waking me before two in the morning after just clearing a case, you have not endeared yourself to me. Since Danny is Ohana, I was already planning to include myself in some of his efforts to help you straighten out your life. But now you have pulled me in with a personalized invitation and I definitely plan to be directly involved, however Danny will let me, in what he decides for your punishment."

Eric looked back down at the tray of coffees as Steve continued. "And since you dragged me into your mess just to try to get around Danny, I feel I have the right to see if Danny will mind me adding my own ideas for retribution to anything he deems necessary after this stupid stunt you pulled tonight. And trust me when I say I won't be going easy."

Eric looked up again at the end of Steve's proclamation, and blanched when he noticed that they were pulling up into Danny's driveway. The living room light was shining through the night that surrounded the otherwise-dark house. "Aww Steve! I thought you weren't gonna call Uncle D!"

Steve threw the truck into Park, shut off the engine and re-claimed the drink carrier holding the remaining two coffees. "Never said that. I agreed to not contact Danny until after I had picked you up—and I didn't. I did, however, call him from the convenience store where I purchased the coffee."

The steel returned to Steve's voice as he turned to Eric and continued on, "Now, you will start to show a little respect to both myself and Danny, as being respectful to your elders never hurt anybody and you are already in deep shit with both of us. Until I indicate otherwise, you will only refer to me as Commander or Sir." Eric sputtered a little of the coffee that he had just taken a drink of. "No more 'bro' or 'man' or 'dude' or 'aww Steve'—it will be 'Commander' or 'Sir', and I will be requesting that Danny set aside some extra time for me to train in a workout with you tomorrow, where every infraction to those honorifics will add on more reps. Do you understand?"

After just a small pause, Eric let out a hesitant, "Yes".

"Yes, what?"

Eric shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, uh, Sir."

"Better. Now for Danny—until he says differently, I want you to stick with a full 'Uncle Danny' or 'Sir'. Respect is going to be the key here, and sarcasm and whining of those titles will not be tolerated either. No more 'Uncle D' until Danny says your punishment from him is complete." Steve paused and waited for an answer from the shocked teen. "Did you get all that?"

"Yes…Sir."

Steve knew the honorifics were a new concept for Eric. Not really an unknown idea, just one that nobody had forced on him before. With that in mind, Steve did not mention the hesitation in Eric's response. "Alright, I want you to say back to me the highlights of what I just laid out for my expectations of respect. I need to know that you at least heard them tonight, even if you need the reminder when you wake up hung over in the morning.

"Okay, um, only call you Commander or Sir, only call Uncle Danny by that or Sir. …No sarcasm or whining when I say your names. And not calling you guys by one of those names will lead to lots of exercise."

"That's a good start. Now we will go into your uncle's house and we are all going to discuss tonight's actions…and possibly also some consequences. It's a good bet that recent past behavior is also on the table, though we might wait for a decent hour of the day to delve into that can of worms.

"One last thing I want you to think about for me. If Danny had woken up on his own for some reason tonight and found that both you and his Camaro were not at home, do you think he would only be mad? Or do you think he would also be worried sick about you. As it is now, Danny will mostly be just angry. Oh, he'll worry about all the possible what-ifs, but he now knows that you were found safe, and that you were with me for the trip back here. Be very glad that anger is the main emotion you are dealing with this morning." As Steve finished talking, Eric had the grace to look ashamed at the thought of Danny worrying over him.

Steve reached out and laid a hand on Eric's shoulder to regain his undivided attention. "When we get in the house, you are going to apologize to Danny. Then you are going to shower and brush your teeth, get into the clothes you will sleep in, and you will be back at the dining room table within fifteen minutes to talk to us. Now let's go inside, and remember to be respectful."

~H50~

To be continued…

 **A/N: Next up, Danny gets caught up on the night's events.**


	6. Chapter 6

~H50~

Chapter 6

Danny met Steve and Eric at the front door, letting them both into the house and shutting the door before starting his pent-up rant. "What the hell were you thinking Eric?! I get a call from Steve in the middle of the night telling me that the nephew I thought was sleeping in my guest room was actually half-way across town, and had been illegally consuming alcohol after stealing my car!"

Eric had come into the house holding the drink carrier with two full coffees, and now shoved it indignantly at Danny as he responded to the verbal assault. "Hey, I didn't steal any—!"

Steve cut Eric off with firm hand landing on Eric's shoulder, followed by a variation of what Danny always thought of as the 'Navy SEAL Death Glare'. Eric adjusted his eyes to the floor at Danny's feet, then let out a sullen "I'm sorry Uncle Danny."

Even though Eric was actually looking contrite, Danny couldn't help his reaction to Eric's apology. Setting the coffees on the end table by the couch, his voice rose again, "You're sorry? I hope you're sorry! Is that all you have to say?"

Steve cleared his throat before cutting in, "Danny, can I talk to you alone for a few minutes?" Danny hesitated in continuing his rant, and shot a look to Steve before turning away and running a hand through his hair in frustration. With Danny remaining silent for the moment, Steve turned to address Eric who hadn't moved his feet since Danny's first words. "Eric, go take a shower like I told you. Clock's ticking."

Danny saw Eric gave a brief glance in his direction, then took off down the hall when he didn't receive any objections from the irate uncle.

With Eric out of sight, Danny finally noticed Steve was moving to set a pack of Longboards that he had walked in with onto the table by the door. Given the whole reason Steve was at his home in the middle of the night, Danny just gaped silently at his friend and gestured in question toward the beer.

Steve didn't take the bait, but verbalized a question of his own. "Danny, I thought you were going to try to reign it in before we got back?"

Danny started pacing. "Yeah, well, I tried. I do think I've calmed down a little since you first called me. I was about ready to put my fist through a wall right after we hung up. Why the hell did you bring beer?"

"Hey, take a breath. I'll tell you everything in a minute, including about the beer. I want to make sure we are on the same page before we talk to Eric again. I don't want to step on your toes here—I think you can handle him just fine on your own—but he made me a part of this when he called me tonight and I'd really like to be involved in the next steps. You're a brother to me, Danny, which makes Eric family too. So I want to help set him straight."

"McGarrett Boot Camp? Yeah, I've been warming up to that idea even more since I got your call this morning. After we texted earlier, I had kind of decided on doing something like that, in addition to bringing back a thing from a few years ago between me and the kid. But your 'boot camp' and my other thing were only going to be maybe a weekend punishment. This stunt he pulled tonight just made me realize how much both need to happen now, and that the severity of the problem has just ramped itself up to eleven."

"So, what is this 'thing' you were going to bring back?" Steve asked. He reached for the carrier holding the coffee and started to move with Danny toward the large dining room table.

Danny paused for a moment, then said lowly, "Corporal punishment. He and I have a little history with it, and I think it worked for a while. The only time we sat down and really got the most out of it though, was only a few months or so before I moved to Hawaii. I haven't been around his life enough in the last three years to make it consistent at all, but he seemed to respond alright to it at the time."

Danny watched Steve take a drink of coffee before any response was formed. "Yeah, I've noticed this look he gets, where I could see that type of punishment working for him," Steve finally agreed. "Here's your coffee, by the way. I've already gotten one cup in Eric, plus a whole liter of water. Hopefully those plus a shower will sober him up enough to follow our discussion tonight."

Danny gratefully took the coffee Steve handed him. "I don't think I'm in the right frame of mind to start that kind of punishment tonight. Plus I want Eric to be as clear-headed as possible to try to get through his thick skull. I do want to at least get the conversation started tonight for what he can likely expect for the rest of his stay here with me."

Danny paused for barely a moment, before continuing. "When you're around him this week and you think he could do with some swats to keep him in line, I want you to know that I trust your judgment to not go overboard with him. I don't think it would do him much good emotionally to have too much of the full-out over-the-lap version that I'm planning, but if you think it is needed then I don't want you to second-guess yourself. Especially if it's just a couple of swats as a quick reprimand."

Danny saw Steve contemplating that for a moment before a small smile tugged at his mouth. "Wow Danny. I promise if I do that I'll only use it sparingly, and I won't abuse your trust."

The moment of significance passed over the men quickly, and Steve plunged straight into the next strain of conversation. "Before Eric gets back, I think you should probably know what has gone down so far tonight. Eric called me around 1:30, asking me to come pick him up from the Thirsty Boar. You know, down by the Hilton? I had guessed he had been drinking, but I wasn't positive and wanted to get more details first. Sorry I didn't call you right away, but I didn't want to wake you without all the information. That's why I waited until after we were on our way here."

Danny _was_ a bit miffed learning that Steve had waited so long to call him. But he did understand the logic of waiting to have solid information, and Danny decided to take another drink of his coffee and just let Steve continue with his debrief.

Steve started digging into one of his pockets as he kept talking. "So I got to the bar and saw he was physically okay except for being drunk. Here are your keys for the Camaro, by the way. I got them from the bartender before I asked him about serving alcohol to minors. The car looks fine, and I'll take you to pick it up later."

Danny followed Steve's hand as he set a driver's license with Eric's picture on the table next to the Camaro key fob. "I also confiscated this fake ID from Eric. I talked with the bartender, and he had checked it but didn't even realize it was a fake. Eric also apparently used it to purchase that 6-pack of Longboards before getting to the bar. He only drank one from the pack, and swears to me he only drank it after parking at the bar. Not sure I believe him, but that's something we can ask him about again. We also might want to check on the convenience store he got the beer from, but I'm guessing if he had such a good fake, he probably would have used it."

When Steve finally paused in his story, Danny took a deep breath while picking at the seam on his coffee cup. "OK, so why the hell did he call you instead of me?"

Danny turned his gaze back to Steve, as his friend formulated his response. "The closest I've gotten out of him is that he got cut off by the bartender and then realized he didn't have enough cash to take a cab back here, but didn't want to call you about it. I think it might have had something to do with some of the conversations between you two earlier today, plus he was very drunk and obviously not thinking straight."

Steve smirked and huffed a laugh at Danny before continuing on. "Apparently your stories of our time together have been missing some of the good parts, because he thought I would be the better choice for picking his drunk ass up from the bar. He actually said that if any of his stupid actions would cause you to lose your temper with him, that this would be it."

Steve paused again and shot a grin to Danny before finishing with, "He did mention that I was more likely to be the quieter option between the two of us."

Danny and Steve had both finished their coffees by that point and got up to make their way into the kitchen. Danny filled three glasses with water and checked the clock on the microwave. "How much time do we have?"

"I told him 15 minutes from when we walked in the door, so we should only have a few left." Steve paused again and Danny briefly wondered what had him suddenly self-conscious.

Steve didn't make him wait long. "And I should warn you, I already laid down a few rules before we got here. Mostly about showing more respect to the both of us, particularly this weekend while we work out what happened tonight and what his punishment will be."

Danny couldn't help but feel a little wary about what Steve's rules might be. "Ooookay. What exactly did you lay out for this respect?"

Steve propped himself against the nearest counter. "Nothing too big, I don't think. Just that he is only to call me 'Commander' or 'Sir' until I say otherwise. And unless you have other preferences, or think it is too much, he is to only call you 'Sir' or 'Uncle Danny' until you tell him that his punishment is complete. You, of course, have veto power over the monikers I gave, but I thought it would be a good place to start. I also told him to knock off with any sarcasm, whining, or using 'bro', 'dude', or 'Uncle D' for the near future. And I sort of threatened him with exercise if he failed to address us like that. I'm working out ways to enforce those rules, and I'll let you know what I come up with."

Danny considered the various antics that Steve had used on suspects over their years together, and thought that Steve's current plan actually sounded pretty solid. "Yeah, I can agree to all of that. And you're not stepping on toes, Steven. I completely agree that we are family in this, and frankly I'm glad you're backing me up. It's easier to 'parent' with a partner; it spreads out their disdain for you so it isn't so focused."

Steve looked skeptical at Danny's last statement, "What do you know about disdainful kids? Gracie's an angel."

The guys had made it back to the dining room table with their water glasses, and were settling in. "Grace is a pre-teen, and I'm dreading her first rebellion. But I'm talking about when I was helping Stella before I moved. And I was a teenager myself once—I've been on the other side of it."

Steve glanced at his watch, then looked up at Danny, "So, what kind of schedule are you looking at tomorrow?"

Danny shifted in his seat as he looked toward the doorway Eric would be coming from. "How much time do you think you want for the first session of McGarrett Boot Camp?"

"Well, I'd like about 3 hours, at least for the first day. But you shouldn't really plan much for at least another hour after that, because I'm not sure how much use he will be after I'm done with him. Either a 9 a.m. to noon followed by lunch, or a 3 to 6 followed by dinner. Whichever works for you. I have a 9 o'clock with the Governor, but I could try to reschedule. I'm meeting with him to discuss Stephens' research on Ni'ihau."

Danny's eyebrows raised when Steve mentioned the Governor. "Denning is meeting with you on a Saturday morning? Lucky you."

Steve just brushed off Danny's comment by taking a sip of water before speaking, "Well, he has other meetings tomorrow, and was able to squeeze me in."

Danny just smiled. "You know what? I have another idea for the morning and early afternoon. You can have the 3-6, and we can meet for dinner. Then Eric and I can have our 'discussion' tomorrow night after dinner. Does that work for you?"

Danny saw Steve check his watch again, then both looked toward the hallway as they heard Eric scuffle and thud into a wall in his rush. "Sure Danny. I'm with you on this, all the way."

~H50~

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There is a lot of Danny talking in this chapter, so my apologies if the speech I gave Danny doesn't hold up to the usual "ranting" standards he has in the show.**

~H50~

Chapter 7

With just under a minute to spare, Eric slid into one of the chairs at Danny's table. Steve pushed one of the water glasses over with a significant look that prompted Eric to take a long drink. Danny let out a big breath, then leaned in toward Eric from across the table.

"You and I both know this trip to Hawaii was not going to be an ideal vacation for you. Your mother sent you here for a reason. Tonight's actions just prove how far off track you have already gone, and they give a pretty decent indication of where you will be headed if somebody doesn't straighten you out. Those 'Somebodies' are now me and Steve."

Eric still appeared to be pretty drunk, but was slowly starting to show his apprehension of the current conversation. Danny noticed the worried quirk of Eric's eyebrows and how he started biting his lip, but barely hesitated before continuing his speech. "What you did tonight was illegal, Eric. You get that, don't you? Tonight could have ended in a lot of different ways, and most of them are some variation of you being in jail, the hospital, or the morgue."

Eric had now completely dropped his eye contact, and Danny found himself repeating the same admonishment he had given in his office the previous morning. "Hey, look at me when I'm talkin' to you. You need to see that your actions have consequences, and Steve and I will try to get that through your thick head before you end up with something permanent on your legal record."

Danny paused a moment and watched as Eric kept fidgeting in his chair. "You are 18 and therefore you are technically, legally an adult. However, you are still living with your mother and you should already know where you stand with this family. You can take the punishment that I have planned for you, or we can go down to the precinct at a decent hour and handle this in a formal and legal manner. I _highly_ recommend that you accept what I have to offer."

Taking a deep breath and a glance to Steve, Danny reached the first part of the actual punishment he would be handing out. He guessed that revealing it would break through Eric's current and atypical silence. "We will go over all of this again after everybody gets some sleep, but here are the highlights. Due to purchasing and consuming alcohol, while you are legally underage and using false identification, the first part of your punishment will be to complete twenty hours of community service and volunteering over the next week."

Eric sputtered and almost inhaled his water, causing him to cough. Danny watched Eric recover and start to open his mouth to retort, but he just held up a hand and continued talking quickly to cut off anything Eric would say.

"I know twenty hours seems like a lot, but you avoided official charges back in Jersey for your last big escapade, so I'm considering this a combined punishment. I will be deciding what those service activities will be, and the first one is me volunteering you to clean out the Drunk Tank at HPD. I think that it is a fitting task to start with, and you can see where this night could have alternatively ended. We will aim to arrive at HPD around 8:30. When you are done at the precinct, there are some things to do at the Palace as well."

Eric could no longer keep his reaction silent. "8:30?! Uncle D, that's so early! And—"

Steve interrupted with a sharp reprimand. "Eric! Enough! What did I say to you not even thirty minutes ago, before we entered this house? You repeated it back to me, so I know you heard. Try another answer."

Danny could definitely see the essence that made Steve so effective as a Team Leader and Commander in the Navy. Danny and Steve both noticed when Eric realized why his initial reaction to Danny had received the interruption from Steve.

"I meant, um, thank you Uncle Danny, for not letting this go on an official record." While trying to seem confident in his new statement, Eric couldn't keep the end of it from sounding like a question. Danny also did not miss the glance that was sent to Steve, looking for his approval.

Steve gave a sharp nod back to the teen. "That's a better response. Thank you."

Since Steve's part was up next, Danny gave a small waving hand gesture to let Steve break the news of the afternoon plans. "Danny has agreed to have you spend Saturday afternoon with me doing some physical training. Then we'll meet a couple of hours every day for the rest of your time in Hawaii to continue with the workouts."

As Eric just sat looking at Steve with a stunned gaze, Danny decided to drop the last major detail on Eric without drawing it out any longer. At Danny saying his name, Eric turned his attention back to his uncle. "Do you remember before I moved to Hawaii? When you were caught with your friends right before vandalizing that warehouse?"

Danny watched closely to see how Eric would react to the mention of that night. When he saw Eric hunch further into his chair, Danny continued, "Tomorrow after dinner you and I are going to have another _discussion_ like the one we had back then. This one will end similarly, with you having a hard time sitting for a while. You follow me?"

Eric gave a small groan and mumbled, "Uh huh".

At the confirmation that Eric was following Danny's reference, he continued to lay out more detail. "This part of your punishment is primarily because your attitude and behavior have been spiraling out of control, and I think it will help. I'm warning you up front, you are older now and the situation is more serious than last time. It might get a little rough for you emotionally, but I will be here for you and we'll get through it together."

Eric was flushing bright red and turned his head away from both Steve and Danny, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Eric, I know this all seems like a lot, but the community service and Steve's workouts will be daily activities for you until you head home in 10 days. Well, I guess it's about 9 days now—it is way too early for this shit."

Danny stood up from the table and gathered the three now-empty water glasses. Steve stood shortly after Danny did, took the glasses from his hands and headed for the kitchen as Danny continued talking. "The extra punishment you receive after dinner Saturday night should only be a one-time thing for your recent lapses in judgment, and it is something you _will_ survive. We can discuss later in the week if a recurrence of that type of punishment will be needed, but that will depend entirely on you and how you are handling everything."

After all of the anxiety and conversation since waking up to Steve's early morning phone call, the exhaustion was finally catching up to Danny. The tired detective continued standing as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. Looking back directly to his nephew, he decided to bring the discussion to it's end.

"We'll talk about the rest of your community service activities when we have time later, probably around lunch. For now, I think we can still get a few hours of sleep until we need to leave for HPD. Eric, please set the alarm on your phone so you are up and ready to leave by 8am. You will _not_ be happy if I have to come wake you up. Now get to bed."

As Eric slumped out of the room, Danny turned to see Steve leaning against the wall by the kitchen. "You wanna crash on my couch, and you can drop us off at HPD on your way to your appointment with Denning? I think you still have a change of clothes here, or I know you've at least got some at the office."

Steve shot a glance to the doorway that Eric had disappeared through and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, Danny, that would be great. We'll figure out some time tomorrow to pick up your car, too."

Danny started walking toward his own bedroom, but turned back as Steve stepped in front of the couch. "And Steve? Thanks for being here tonight. I want you to know how grateful I am that I've got you to count on."

Steve sat and made himself comfortable as he looked up at his friend. "Hey, you know I'm happy to help."

Danny couldn't help but give a tired half-smile as he turned again for his bedroom. "Goodnight Steve."

Steve was already half asleep as he mumbled back, "G'night Danny."

~H50~

To be continued…

 **A/N: I'm sorry I've been so slow to update. I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me so far, and I hope to start cutting down on the time between posts.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So much for 'cutting down on the time between posts'. My apologies for making the wait time longer than I had for the other updates, and thank you to the two reviews I got today that nudged me into posting again. I've been second-guessing myself and re-writing some of the later chapters, which led to putting off this chapter for awhile. This is the second longest chapter of the story so far, so hopefully that makes up for a little bit of the delay.**

 **A/N 2: Also, it is official after the Halloween episode that "my" Eric is WAY younger than the age they gave him in canon. We'll just disregard that, shall we?**

~H50~

Chapter 8

By 7am on Saturday, Steve stood at the stove and looked over his shoulder to see Danny walk into the kitchen. Steve was multi-tasking by scrambling eggs over the stove while also chopping fruit to add to the hideously green protein shake that he was preparing. Steve had dug through the back of Danny's cupboards to find the blender he was using, and would bet that Danny had forgotten he even owned the appliance.

Steve turned back to his tasks, simply greeting his friend with "Good morning, Danny."

" 'Mornin' Steve. Jeez, I forgot how disgusting that protein drink of yours looked. Did you sleep OK on the couch?"

Steve didn't look back again as he continued chopping his fruit. "Yes, I slept fine, thanks. You hungry? I've got enough eggs scrambling for both of us, if you want some. I think you still have some shredded cheese in the fridge if you want to add it to yours. And I left some of the fruit out in case you wanted any. Also, thank God for the automatic timer on your coffee machine. I've already had my first cup, so the next one up is yours."

Danny bee-lined for a mug to pour coffee into, then just inhaled the strong aroma for a couple of breaths. Danny took a cautious drink from the hot mug, then seemed content to just let the high-grade coffee start to work it's magic. "Babe, I appreciate the sentiment, but you didn't have to cook breakfast for me. While you've already gone to the trouble though, I would love to have some of those eggs. Are there any mango chunks in with that fruit you were talking about?"

Steve indicated toward a plate on the counter that did contain the mango Danny asked about, as Danny leaned against the island behind him. "Hey, buddy, I don't think this looks like enough scrambled eggs to split three ways. Please do not tell me you are only making the eggs for me and Eric and that you plan to subsist only on that offensive-looking beverage."

Steve turned down the heat on the eggs a little and threw in the last of his fruit pieces to the blender. "No, the eggs are for you and me to split. Danny, that kid is sleep deprived with a hangover, I really don't think he is going be ready to leave with enough time to eat here. He can drink this protein shake, have a couple hard-boiled eggs and maybe some granola bars I've got, and that should be enough to get him through the morning. If by some miracle he is in here by the time these eggs are done in…two minutes, then I will gladly let him eat my portion and I'll just grab some food from my office. But I really don't think he'll be getting up on his own."

Danny took another long drink from his coffee, then let his eyes stray to the doorway that led to the guest room. "Yeah, I guess I might have been setting him up to fail for getting himself up, but I really had high hopes. I suppose I should lower my standards a little, huh?" From down the hall, Steve and Danny could hear the alarm on Eric's phone going off for the second time, without any other noise coming from that direction to indicate movement.

Steve caught Danny watching him as he turned off the heat on both the scrambled eggs and the back burner that was holding a couple hard-boiled eggs. He saw a look of fondness pass over his friend's face, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was for. Steve was only trying to be prepared with both breakfast and a back-up plan for the three of them. It was going to be a long day, after such a short night, and everyone would need the fuel to start the day off right.

Danny held up both plates for Steve to dish up the scrambled eggs. Steve then grabbed two forks and the plate of fruit, and the men sat down to eat a fast breakfast before they had to leave. As they were finishing the last of their food, Steve could see that Danny was thinking something through, and patiently waited to see where the conversation was going.

Finally, Danny wiped his mouth with a napkin and made his proposition. "Hey Steve, I yelled at Eric all day yesterday. Do you want to have a turn and go get him out of bed? You were right that he wouldn't be waking himself up."

"You sure?" Steve shot a glance toward the bedrooms, then looked back at Danny. It was nice that Danny was including him, and a small smile crossed Steve's face at the thought. With Danny's confirming nod, Steve stood to take his dishes to the sink. "Yeah, I can do that. Can you blend that shake for another ten seconds and dump it in a to-go cup?"

Danny made a face but agreed to Steve's request, and Steve left the kitchen with purposeful strides toward the sound of Eric's alarm going off again.

~H50~

Steve stepped into the room where Eric was sleeping, just as the alarm timed out and stopped blaring. Eric was still asleep on his stomach, wearing only a pair of pajama pants, with his head buried under a pillow and the bedsheet tangled around his knees. Steve grabbed the nearest t-shirt and pair of cargo shorts and chucked them onto Eric's back.

"Hey! Eric! You slept through your alarm and now it's time to go. Hey!" Steve reached out to give Eric's shoulder a rough shake as the teen just made grumbling sounds and tried to bury his head further.

"Ugh, dude, go away! 'S too early." And at hearing that response from Eric, Steve's mind raced back through many memories from his own adolescence and early mornings. First with his father and later at the academy. Now was not the time for a walk down memory lane though, and he decided that a more direct plan of action was needed. Steve moved quickly to grab Eric's shoulder, then pulled the teen up and off the bed and shoved him face-first into the nearest wall, dragging the sheet with them as it caught on one of Eric's feet. Steve twisted Eric's right arm behind his back and held the wrist firm between the kid's shoulder blades, then leaned in close to speak directly into Eric's left ear.

"Eric, I realize you were drunk last night, so I'll be generous and give you a small recap. You called me in the middle of the night after sneaking out to go drinking and then needing a ride home. This evening activity was after already being on thin ice with your uncle because of your actions in New Jersey and your behavior since you've been in Hawaii. Your uncle and I are Ohana, which means that _you_ are Ohana, and we are going to do our damnedest to give you some guidance and keep you accountable for your actions."

Eric struggled a little in Steve's grip and turned his head to voice a protest when Steve cut him off. "You will be starting by showing some respect. You are going to do _everything_ that Danny and I ask of you for the rest of your stay, and you are going to speak to us respectfully. You only address me as 'Sir' or 'Commander' and Danny as 'Sir' or 'Uncle Danny'. Is any of this coming back to you?"

Eric slumped a little in Steve's hold, and ground out a resigned "Yes".

Steve gave Eric's shoulders a firm shake, "This would be the time to respond 'yes, sir.' Go use the bathroom, change your clothes, and be in the truck in five minutes. You do _not_ want to test me on this." Steve let up on the grip he had on Eric's arm, then propelled him into the hall and toward the bathroom. "Five minutes, no less."

Steve could just make out a grumbled and disgruntled "Yes, _sir_ " from down the hallway, but let that one go in favor of trying to leave the house on time.

Steve met Danny in the kitchen and grabbed the hard-boiled eggs after Danny picked up the protein shake. They didn't talk much as he followed Danny out to the truck. Eric came running out of the front door just as his five minutes were up. Danny went to lock the door as Steve started up the Silverado, and they were on the road exactly at 8:00 as they had planned.

"Hey Uncle D, are we stopping for breakfast? I'm starving, and my head is killing me." Eric had his head tilted up against the back of the seat, and looked every bit as hung-over as he had when Steve pulled him out of bed. "I thought I smelled eggs when I was running out of the house, can we go somewhere that has a good egg and bacon combo on their menu?"

Steve was starting to feel every bit as frustrated with Eric as Danny had been at the Palace the day before. And between cramming a whole investigation into one day and following it with the late-night drama, it was hard to believe that he had really only met Eric the previous morning. "Eric. Seriously? What did I say to you about respect? What did I say not ten minutes ago?"

"Sorry, St—Sir." Steve was happy to see that Eric tried to stop himself from making another mistake. "So, are we going to stop for breakfast Uncle Danny?"

"No, Eric, we are not. You did not wake up in time to eat with us, so—" Danny turned in his seat to look back at Eric when they heard him mumble under his breath. "Relax, I won't let you go hungry. You are just going to have to settle for a protein shake and a couple hard-boiled eggs. Here's the shake, you can have the eggs when you're done."

Eric took the offered to-go cup, and tried to take a sniff from the opaque container. At the first large sip, Eric gave a little sputter at the taste and Danny gave a little chuckle. "See SuperSEAL, not everybody enjoys those health shakes like you do. Although, I do think that adding the fruit helps the flavor quite a bit."

Steve couldn't hold in his exasperation, even though it was a regular argument between them. "Danny, that shake is a perfectly good way to get the nutrition needed to start a busy day. It's a lot healthier than mainlining Malasadas with your morning coffee. Eric, stop making faces and just drink. If you wanted a different breakfast, you should have gotten around when your alarm first went off this morning."

Eric looked skeptically between Danny and Steve, then gave a little huff before trying to swallow as much of the drink he could all at once, just to get it over with.

Danny stayed turned a bit in his seat and watched Eric. Steve mostly kept his eyes on the road, but was able see Eric through the rear-view mirror. When he stopped for a breath, Danny passed Eric two aspirin, a bottle of water, and the first hard-boiled egg. "Hey, make sure you thank Steve for preparing both that drink and the eggs for you. I would have just given you some plain toast with only a bottle of water."

Almost resigned, but still with a hint of rebellion, Eric took a breath and did as his uncle had asked. "Thanks for the aspirin Uncle Danny. And thanks Commander, for the breakfast."

"You're welcome," they both responded in scary unison. Danny huffed a small laugh, and Steve just sent a responding smirk.

Still turned toward the back seat, Danny started talking again as Steve maneuvered through traffic. "So Eric, it sounds like we should probably go over the plan again for today. I'm guessing from how long it took Steve to get you moving that you either don't remember much of what we talked about last night, or you don't believe us. You basically have two choices: you can go with me to the ADA and have last night's drinking escapade formally handled, or you can agree to take the punishments that Steve and I hand down to you this week."

Eric was silent for a moment in the back of the truck. Steve glanced back and saw shadows of emotion crossing the teen's face as memories from the late-night conversation trickled through his brain. In a quiet voice, Eric finally responded to his uncle. "Nothing formal. I'll take the punishments that you give me. …Please."

Danny kept himself turned toward his nephew while continuing the conversation. "Starting this morning and for the remainder of your time with me, you will be atoning for a lot of recent activities, and will be put through a variety of tasks that I believe will benefit you in the long run. Your mother sending you here was not meant to be a fun vacation. There will be a lot of hard work, a lot of physical exercise, and a lot of discussion. You go home in nine days, and while you are here you will be completing twenty hours of community service total, and two to three hours of work-out time with Steve per day."

Steve could see the shocked and disbelieving look on Eric's face through the mirror, but Danny didn't wait for the teen to speak up. "This morning Steve is dropping us off at HPD, and you are getting the enjoyable task of cleaning up their drunk tank. I must tell you that Friday nights are the busiest of the week, even more than Saturday nights. You can think about how a night of drinking enough to get cut off by a bartender plus not having enough money to get yourself home could have landed you in the police drunk tank last night instead of in my wonderful home. Especially since you are not of the legal drinking age!"

Steve decided to bring Danny back to the task of laying out the day's plans. "After HPD you will do some work at the Palace, and we can pick up Danny's car around lunch. Then you and I will be spending the afternoon doing some physical training."

Danny had calmed his previous rant enough to join the conversation again. "And tonight after dinner, you and I are sitting down for a long discussion of your poor decision-making, where the night ends with a good old-fashioned spanking and you having a hard time sitting down for awhile."

Eric turned a deep red and looked mortified. "Uncle Danny! Why did you say that in front of him? Steve doesn't need to know that you're going to do that!"

"No whining, and I believe you were told to refer to him as 'Commander.'" Danny and Steve exchanged a quick look before Danny turned his look back to Eric. "You didn't want the Commander here to know that I planned to deliver a spanking to you like you were a misbehaving little child? Steve already knows about it because he is Ohana. Family. He knows what I plan to talk to you about tonight, he knows how I plan to do it, and he knows I've done it before. Tonight may not be just a one-time deal, Eric—You may be delivered a repeat 'discussion' throughout the week from either of us if we feel it is necessary."

With that final statement, Danny turned back to the front of the vehicle and turned the radio on low for the rest of the short trip to HPD. Steve kept quiet for the remaining drive, but also kept an eye on the sulking kid in the seat behind him. If this morning was any indication of the rest of the week, he and Danny were going to have their hands full.

~H50~

To be continued…

 **A/N: Go Cubs! I hope all you Cubs fans celebrated responsibly ;) and didn't have too much anxiety throughout the last two weeks! Indians fans, I'm sure your time will come soon—hang in there. There are a lot of great players on both teams, and I'm sure we'll see great stuff from both in the coming years.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter has split POV, because I didn't want two separate (and super short) chapters to get through this part of the story. Just a head's up: Yes, Danny seems to ramble a bit in his part. And Yes, Eric seems to have picked up that trait from his uncle ;)**

~H50~

Chapter 9

Danny looked up from the report he was putting the finishing touches on, as Steve popped his head into Danny's office. "Hey, are you ready for a lunch break? I want to swing by the hospital to talk to Stephens, but I can drop you at your car first and we can still meet up to eat. Rainbow sound good?"

Danny glanced down again at his computer monitor and saw that it was just past 11:15. "Yeah, okay. Eric's done with the project I gave him here. He's just putting a few things away and washing up now."

Danny checked the hallway through the glass walls to see if Eric was returning yet. "I'd like us to go with you to the hospital, if that's okay. You got Denning to give his permission for continuing research on Ni'ihau, right? I'd like Eric to see that we sometimes have something good come out of a Five-0 case besides an arrest. We can get the Camaro after that."

Steve stepped fully into Danny's office, then made himself comfortable on the couch. "So how did the morning go?"

Danny quickly emailed his case report to Steve's inbox, logged off his computer, and leaned back in his desk chair as he answered his friend. "Well, I guess it went as well as I could have expected. He didn't throw up at the disgusting stench, he put in a decent effort at HPD and didn't let any of his current disdain for me make it to a verbalized state."

Steve huffed out a small laugh at the phrasing but didn't interrupt, so Danny just continued on. "I spoke with Duke, who gave me the schedule for the Age 18 to 21 Community Service Trash Detail for this week, and I'm thinking two days on a highway and two days on a beach will work out nicely. Each shift is three hours long. This way Eric can be supervised, and I can still get some actual work done this week. This morning he only worked two total hours, not counting set-up or transport between HPD and the Palace. So between today and the four HPD trash details, I'll have fourteen hours covered. I've thought of a few other ideas for the rest of the week, but I'd like your opinion and we can talk about it tonight."

Steve was nodding his head in agreement by the time Danny paused for a breath. "Sure, we can talk tonight. Going with HPD for the service groups is a great idea. They've already got a good system in place and are used to dealing with kid's attitudes." Steve glanced around Danny's office, then back over his shoulder into the main room. "So what did you have him do around here?"

"Let's see, we got here around 10 after finishing at HPD. I thought I'd stick with the theme of the morning, and had him wipe down all of the office doors and the surface table to remove smudges. Then I sent him down to go over the second rendition room with extra cleaner and disinfectant. I know the cleaning staff does a good job, but they really don't know what went on in that second room during our case last week, and a couple extra layers of anti-bacterial disinfectant is definitely a good thing after that junkie we had in there. I'm just glad we didn't have more than one suspect in custody at a time for this Cutler case. I was able to finish my report on the arrest while Eric has been cleaning."

Steve took a second to figure out the best way to word his next line of questioning. "So how was his attitude with you? I really think that correcting even that small part of his behavior will work great with his overall mind-set. As long as you don't mind, I'd like to keep on top of any infractions he has. I was thinking pushups or burpees for every time—not actually done in public of course—but still a small repercussion for each time he messes up with how he talks to us and the other adults he is around."

Danny gave it some thought as he finally saw Eric come around the corner of their hallway with almost with swagger in his step. "His attitude has been fine, so far. I didn't hover too much today though, so we haven't talked much. But yeah, I think a physical response would be good, and it will hopefully help his brain catch up to the lessons in respect that he still needs to learn."

Steve let out an internal sigh, glad that he wasn't over-stepping. "Alright. I'll think about the details a little more over lunch and I'll lay it out for him this afternoon. Sound good?"

"Sure, that sounds just fine to me." Danny watched as Eric stopped to flirt with a girl in the hallway right outside the Five-0 main doors. "Hey Steve, I was thinking, would you be okay with me tagging along for your afternoon workout today? Just a feeling that's been nagging me, but I don't want it to seem to Eric like I'm dumping him off on somebody else. I don't have to butt in on your drills, and I honestly don't know if I'd want to, but I don't want Eric to feel like he's a problem that I'm just passing off."

Steve followed Danny's gaze and spotted the subject of their discussion, then stood to lead them both out to the main room. "Yeah, Danny, I'm okay with that. And you can always join in if you change your mind."

"Funny. I know you are planning on a run, and you _know_ how much I hate running. I guess I'll see what else you have planned though." As Eric finally walked through the doors to the Five-0 office, Danny moved to herd him back out again and toward the stairs to the parking lot.

~H50~

Standing in the hall, Eric could hear most of the conversation going on in Avery Stephen's hospital room. When Avery first greeted Steve, Eric's thoughts sped back to his hazy snippets of memory from Steve lecturing him in the cab of the truck the night before. That scene was quickly mixed with Steve's growled speech from first thing in the morning, about how he needed to be more respectful. His racing thoughts jumped again to the morning ride, from the backseat that time, when Uncle Danny reminded him that Steve wanted to be called—Damn! 'Commander'! Eric realized in that split-second that he would have to start _thinking_ of him as 'Commander' instead of 'Steve' or it would never come out right when he was actually speaking.

Eric's attention snapped back to the hospital hallway the second time he heard Avery politely answer _the Commander_ with 'Sir'. How could this little kid be so good and polite and _respectful,_ and Eric couldn't even last one day with Uncle D—damn it, _Uncle Danny_ —without screwing things up ten times more than before he got to Hawaii?

Uncle D— _Uncle Danny_ —interrupted his self-deprecating thoughts. "What's up?"

Finding himself near a conversation he didn't want to have yet, or ever, Eric tried to deflect. "Huh? Nothin'. Nothing's up."

Unfortunately, Eric was aware that he didn't stop his eyes from twitching as he looked in the opposite direction of his uncle. Hoping that Danny would just let it drop, Eric's thoughts jumped once again. This time he had just overheard Steve explaining the Governor's letter, followed by Avery's dad giving his emotional thank you to _the commander_. All of the best moments from yesterday's rough day started flashing through his mind. Charlie Fong and the lab had made this happen, had led Five-0 to a scientist that needed to be saved from a murderer, so that the scientist could find a cure to save his own son from a disease.

Yesterday Eric had only thought that the lab and the equipment were cool, and just like on TV. Yesterday he had thought that figuring out how to find the college kids who were cheating, and how they were doing it, was a fun way to spend an afternoon after having been yelled at by his uncle for half the morning. Yesterday, he had still thought that he wasn't going to go to college after high school.

All of the good things from Friday had flown by in barely a moment. Eric saw the domino effect of where the case had gone after analyzing one little plant, and it now led him to a sudden revelation…yesterday he had become interested in a job. A real job that could help people and be a value to society. Just like Uncle Danny had been trying to get him to think about. When the idea of working in a lab had come to him the day before, Eric had dismissed it as a passing infatuation with cool electronic toys. Now, though, Avery Stephens made everything more real.

Apparently his realization made something change in his face or his body language, because Uncle Danny was asking if he was okay again.

"Yeah. I think I know what I wanna do with my life." His uncle didn't rush him to continue, so Eric didn't really feel pressured when he revealed that he wanted to work in a crime lab.

For the brief moment that Danny took to respond, Eric's heart started to drop. Maybe it was a bad idea after all, maybe Uncle D didn't—

"That's a very good career, Eric. It'd be nice." Eric looked up and saw the smile that came with his uncle's words of approval.

Eric was so relieved when Uncle Danny sounded so proud, that he had to lighten the mood to get away from the sincere conversation that was starting to happen again. "…You need some sort of degree to do that?"

Thankfully Uncle D let him get away with re-directing the dialogue into some playful banter, and he couldn't help let out a laugh when the Discovery Channel was mentioned again. After all of the turmoil running through his head, it felt like a huge weight had fallen away after make a positive decision about his future—especially one that made his uncle smile with pride.

Eric could finally hear Steve —ugh, _the Commander,_ that was going to be hard— saying his goodbyes. As Steve stepped out of the hospital room, Danny started pulling him toward the bank of elevators, saying something about "Loco Moco."

What the—what? Loco Moco? Unfortunately, the most intelligent reply Eric could give only mirrored his confused thoughts, "…uh, what?"

~H50~

To be continued...

 **A/N: Yeah, I know Eric's thoughts seemed all over the place. That was on purpose, and I hope it came across alright.**


End file.
